Gentoo Forums Translator Guidelines

The aim of this guide is to provide the basic guidelines to anyone working
on translations for the forums. This includes those with direct CVS access
as well as those who don't. Detailed instructions are provided for both
groups.

When new features are released to the Gentoo Forums, either by Gentoo or by
phpBB, new phrases and words are added. Typically they are added to the
English language pack only, this means that anyone using a different
language pack will see these phrases in English. The supported languages are
listed below.

The files to be translated reside within the
gentoo-projects/forums/translations CVS directory, here you
will find subdirectories for each supported language. In each language
directory there is a README containing instructions as well as
the files that need translating. New words or phrases that are introduced
when we make modifications will be added to lang_extra.php. When
phpBB adds a new phrase we will add it to the bottom of
lang_main.php.

There are also two subdirectories to be found in each language directory:
an images directory that contains translations of textual images
and an email directory which contains email templates which are
used when an email is sent to a user, e.g. for topic reply notifications or
registration activation.

The first few lines (everything up to the first blank line) are email
headers. The header names start at the beginning of the line and end with a
colon character ':'. The header names should NOT be translated as
this can cause email subjects to be sent in the wrong language.

So for the following email header:

Code Listing 2.1: English email header

Subject: Topic Reply Notification - {TOPIC_TITLE}

The following translation should be used:

Code Listing 2.2: Translated email header

Subject: <translation> - {TOPIC_TITLE}

The files will usually be php files where it's important to keep the
syntactical structure in place. Only the textual strings should be
translated. Any other code structures should be kept in place, including code
within those strings. Comments (anything after a # or //) can optionally be
translated. The line-wrapping used in these files should also be preserved.
Also extra whitespace or comments shouldn't be added before <?php or
after the last ?> as this causes php to show an error.

So in the following example only the string '%sThis%s is an example' should be
translated, ensuring that the %s are kept in place.

If you are a Gentoo Developer/Staff/Translator then you can be added to the
cvsforumtrans group on cvs.gentoo.org so that you have write access to
the translations directory. This will give you full
access to commit translations. Someone from Gentoo's Infrastructure
or Developer
Relations projects should be able to add you to the cvsforumtrans
group. Instructions for getting started with CVS can be found in the Gentoo Linux CVS
Tutorial.

If you don't have CVS access you can still help out with the translations.
You will need to add your diffs to Gentoo's
Bugzilla then someone with CVS access will check them in. You can
download the files to be translated using
Gentoo's
ViewCVS. Make sure you make a note of the revision number of the
file downloaded. Once you've made your translations you need to
create a diff.

Code Listing 2.5: Create a diff

diff -uB original_file.php translated_file.php > file_name.php.diff

Once you've created the diff you need to create a bug report. Make sure
you use the Gentoo Infrastructure product and the Forums component. The summary
should be in the format "[language] Translation for file_name.php".
In the report you should specify which CVS revision number this is a diff
against. Once you've created the bug report you should add your diff as an
attachment.

The translations are kept separate from the code that is deployed onto the
forums. When you've added a translation you can request that someone with
the right access adds the files to our test server. You will be able to
find someone to do this in the #gentoo-forums channel on irc.freenode.net. You
will also be given the username and password needed to access the test server.
The test server is used to test new features and bug fixes so sometimes things
may not always work correctly.

Note:
All translations must be tested before they can be deployed onto the forums.

Once the translations have been tested they will be ready for deployment
onto the forums. This will happen during the normal release cycle and they
will go live the next time the forums are upgraded, which is usually when we
have new features to be released.

This mailing list has been set up to help coordinate the translation
efforts. If you have any questions about the translations or the processes
used please use this list. To subscribe send an empty email to:

A test server is available for
you to test your translations. This server is password protected, the
username/password will be supplied to you when you need it. This server's
database is a snapshot of the live Forum and is not always up to date.
If you do not have an account on this server please contact a Forums
Administrator.